In the first leaders' debate of the campaign, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman defends asset leases as the best way to pay off state debt but Labor's Annastacia Palaszczuk says her party's economic plan would see results sooner.

Labor has announced it plans to re-introduce strict tree clearing laws, but that hasn't gone down well with the current agriculture minister. Another point of contention is whether a balance can be found between mining and agricultural land use.

Rising production costs, especially electricity prices, is a major issue for primary producers in the 2014 Queensland election. Hear what Queensland Agriculture Minister, John McVeigh, and his Labor counterpart, Anthony Lynham have to say on the issue.

A Queensland Labor MP says he personally does not support the $900 million expansion of Acland mine, near Oakey in southern Queensland. Labor's agriculture spokesman, Anthony Lynham, claimed the coal mine's approval is a 'monumental turnaround' from the position the Liberal National Party took to the last State election in 2012. "I don't support it, in the same way that Campbell Newman and Jeff Seeney didn't support it," he said. The LNP Agriculture Minister John McVeigh rejected any criticism that the approval is a broken election promise. He said the 'independent' coordinator-general had followed proper procedure to endorse the 'Stage 3' expansion, arguing that the proposal is substantially different to what originally planned before the last election.

Up and down Queensland's east coast is a litany of small sugar towns. Some are smaller than others; in fact, chances are if you've driven the Bruce Highway between Innisfail and Cairns, you may have passed a few without even realising it. Daradgee is one of those places. Built on a hairpin bend of the North Johnstone River, only a handful of pioneering cane families still call it home. People like Joe Cristaudo grew up on the river and today works at the Daradgee Environmental Education Centre.